Curtain №2

"Curtains" are the main characters of the first hall. The name of the works indicates the functions – to hold, to separate what is available and everything else, to hide. The large-sized facilities of Gretsky and Katz could indeed become a physical barrier, blocking the entrance or exit. But safely placed along the walls, they remain graphic works that perform all these operations only with the viewer's gaze. The works are made and shown in such a way that they are difficult to inspect and quickly get a complete impression. The large size of these objects, the layered structure assembled from different materials, the simultaneous presentation of themselves as a graphic plane and a three-dimensional thing, all this complexity turns them into an obstacle to vision and a trap for gaze. 

According to the artists, the most important detail of the work is the small traces of the "darning" of the first layer. The drawing that becomes the basis of each "Curtain" is made with graphite on thin cotton paper. During the intensive drawing of lines, the material is constantly torn, and the authors carefully restore the sheet by gluing it with small stripes on the back. If you overcome the resistance of all layers and get to the core with your eyes, you can find these traces, but you should be prepared for the work to "capture" or look at you in return.

Text: Anastasia Kotyleva